Wellbeing is best viewed as a temporary state of being that is the outcome of ‘being’ Resilient. Resilience skills training is about equipping people with a set of abilities and tools that help individuals and teams consistently cope and thrive through everyday challenges and disappointments faced. Resilience training is the old metaphor of learning how to fish to survive through life, not just being given a fish to survive the day! Put another way, would you rather you and your team learn how to monitor and maintain optimal Resilience each day, or just be given some flexible working hours to cope better?

Pre-Covid the business environment across all industries and economies was already facing significant Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA). Largely caused by rapid organisational change in the fight to leverage the speed of technological innovation, the increasing demands of workloads and stakeholders, and the need to constantly improve the way we do business with customers! Then the Pandemic hit and VUCA has become even more prevalent…

Volatility: Changes due to COVID-19 have been taking place every day, are unpredictable, dramatic and rapid.

Uncertainty: No one can predict with confidence when the pandemic will “end” or when we will have a complete vaccination plan.

Complexity: The pandemic is affecting all aspects of life — including health care, business, the economy and social life — in complex ways.

Ambiguity: There is no “best practice” that individuals and organizations can follow to manage the challenges caused by the pandemic.

…VUCA squared has put workforce ‘wellbeing’ front and centre for organisations and leaders!

While many organisations already invest in the wellbeing of their team, few are Resilient. A 2020 study by Aon revealed only 30% of employees are Resilient, 42% do not feel secure at work and 55% do not feel able to reach their potential. Compare this to organisations who build workforce Resilience as a top priority and 93% of Resilient employees say they would want to stay with their employer, 86% of Resilient employees feel fully motivated at work!

Wellbeing programs aimed at offering employee benefits like flexible working hours, mindfulness classes or access to a professional counsellor are great, but they’re not enough. These types of initiatives can certainly offer valuable benefits when implemented well, but they have mixed results and varied uptake by staff. Wellbeing is best viewed as a temporary state of being that is the outcome of ‘being’ Resilient. Resilience skills training is about equipping people with a set of abilities and tools that help individuals and teams consistently cope and thrive through everyday challenges and disappointments faced. Resilience training is the old metaphor of learning how to fish to survive through life, not just being given a fish to survive the day! Put another way, would you rather you and your team learn how to monitor and maintain optimal Resilience each day, or just be given some flexible working hours to cope better?​

There is nothing that organisations need more right now than workforce Resilience! To achieve this, leaders and organisations must re-evaluate their approach to the health and wellbeing of their workforce. This requires a well-rounded Resilience training programme focused on measuring and building Resilience at work.

The benefits of practical Resilience training focused on building team Resilience have been uncovered in a renowned PWC study conducted in collaboration with the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance. As at 2021, a lack of workforce Resilience is estimated to be costing Australian companies $12.8 billion per year in lost productivity, translated in dollar terms as rising absenteeism, presenteeism and workplace compensation claims. Globally this number is over $60 billion! (That’s billion not million).

The results of successfully addressing Resilience? …

1. Save Costs! 33% Reduction in employee absenteeism, presenteeism and workplace compensation claims!
2. Increase Productivity! 2X Employees are twice as motivated and productive if they’re Resilient!
3. Generate ROI! 15X Up to $15 return for every $1 invested in building staff Resilience!

Organisations with Resilient workforces can see value delivered through improved sentiment, bottom line measures (attraction, retention, productivity) and employee outcomes that contribute to their ability to do great work! Book a call to discuss your teams Resilience training needs.

Credits

• ‘Managing in a VUCA World’. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/managing-vuca-world.htm
• ‘Why Mentally healthy workforces matter – Untreated mental health conditions cost Australian employers approximately $12.8 billion every year’. Retrieved from https://mentallyhealthyworkplacealliance.org.au/why-mentally-healthy-workplaces-matter/
• ‘Insomnia costing US workforce $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity, study shows.’ American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901093653.htm